What we do

About us

Who we are

The Academic Cooperation Association (ACA) is a membership organisation. Its members are national-level organisations which promote and fund internationalisation of higher education.  Full members must be from (geographical) Europe. Associate members can be from anywhere in the world. ACA members are involved in a wide range of activities, such the delivery of student and staff mobility programmes (in most cases including the Erasmus+ Programme,) the promotion and marketing of their countries’ higher education worldwide, curricular internationalisation, and the provision of policy advice, to name but a few examples. ACA was created in 1993 as a non-governmental organisation (AISBL/VZW) according to Belgian law). Current membership is comprised of 24 members in Europe and a further three associate members in the US and Asia.  

ACA has a double mission. First, it serves as a platform for its members for mutual learning and the exchange of good practice, for joint projects and other joint activities, and for advocating the members’ interests vis-à-vis the European institutions and national governments. Second, it is a think tank on issues of internationalisation and innovation in higher educations. In this capacity, ACA is engaged in research into internationalisation of higher education, producing studies and evaluations. It also acts as a consultant for public and private clients and it runs a fair number of international seminars and conferences every year, among them the well-established ACA European Policy Seminar series. It also produces a highly reputed monthly electronic news service, the ACA Newsletter – Education Europe.  

ACA’s Secretariat is seated in Brussels – a privileged location to create and maintain close working relations with the European institutions.

ACA is active in the field of internationalisation of higher education through a number of activities:

• The promotion of innovation and internationalisation in (higher) education and training;
• The enhancement of contacts, networking and cooperation between its members organisations and third parties;
• The provision of fast and up-to-date information on important developments in the European institutions and international organisations via a monthly e-newsletter, and regularly held policy seminars;
• Research into and publications on internationalisation in education and training;
• The provision of know-how and expertise in the management of international cooperation projects and programmes, and their evaluation;
• Consultancy to private and public bodies in the area of international cooperation in higher education.
  

Read ACA’s Strategic Plan (2023 – 2027).

ACA’s Annual Reports